Every year the National Union of Teachers conference can be counted on for some beyond-parody educationalist nonsense. I enjoyed this one today from the BBC News site. As part of the perennial moan that children are being tested too much an NUT delegate worried that:

Even nursery-age children were being taught to spell and write in readiness for the tests waiting for them at primary school.

Think of all that valuable finger-painting time being wasted on acquring language skills. How will the little plebs be kept in their place if they learn to read and write like the posh kids?

In related news, the Cuban government believes that by 2010 its people will be mature enough to buy their own toasters.